


Chuck versus the Roommate

by rivkat



Category: Chuck - Fandom
Genre: Eight crazy nights, Multi, Pre-Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-12
Updated: 2011-01-12
Packaged: 2017-10-14 17:02:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/151510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rivkat/pseuds/rivkat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For turnonmyheels: Morgan moves into Casey's apartment because he's tired of being a third wheel with Chuck and Sarah. Casey's daughter moves into Casey's apartment for whatever reason. Casey can't stand being around his *daughter* macking on Grimes so he moves in with Chuck and Sarah. Instead of being a third-wheel with Chuck and Sarah, they wind up in a polyamorous relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chuck versus the Roommate

“Did we agree to this?” Chuck asked Sarah from over the top of the box of Casey’s clothes he was carrying (“Careful with those, or I’ll kill you.”). “Because—unh!—I’m not sure I remember saying, ‘Hey, Casey, I know that living with Morgan and Alex is stressing you out, so why don’t you fix the problem by moving in with us?’”

“The NSA won’t let him move out of the apartment complex,” Sarah said, effortlessly hoisting her own box of assorted weaponry. “Besides, do you really want to find out what Casey would do to Morgan if he had to watch him and Alex together every night?”

“No, no, you have a point,” Chuck assured her, plonking his box down on the bare mattress of Morgan’s former room. “It’s just—it feels a little musical-chairs, _The Real World_ -tangled-relationships-ish, you know?”

“Don’t think of it as losing a best friend as a roommate,” Morgan suggested, chewing on an apple as he watched them work. “Think of it as gaining an arsenal.”

Casey arrived with another box in time to growl at that. Chuck didn’t know what was in Casey’s box, but it was heavy enough that Casey was sweating and his muscles were standing out really nicely, highlighted by the short BuyMore polo. “What?” Casey snapped, catching Chuck looking.

“Uh, nothing!” Chuck thought about the possibility that they’d be sharing a bathroom, or that Casey would wander around post-shower in nothing but a towel (okay, a towel and a weapon), and gulped. “I’ll just go get another box.”

****

Later, lying in bed with Sarah, he was practically purring as she ran her hand gently down his back. He was so amazingly lucky that this incredible woman, who could do everything from defuse a bomb to knock out an assailant with her pinky finger, wanted to be with him. He opened his mouth to say as much, but Sarah got there first.

“Chuck.”

Oh yeah, that tone was not among his favorites. It wasn’t the worst—not the ‘Chuck, you’re in mortal danger,’ nor the ‘Chuck, I’m going to break up with you because we don’t want the same things.’ It wasn’t even the ‘Chuck, I’m not sure you can do the job.’ But it was a ‘Chuck, we need to talk’ instead of a ‘Chuck, I love you like Leia loves Han.’

“Yeeesss?” He turned his head, ready to face his doom.

“How do you feel about Casey?”

“Buh?” Okay, try again. “Well, for one thing, I’m a little afraid that if I use the words ‘feel’ and ‘Casey’ in the same sentence, he’ll know and he’ll hurt me. But, other than that—I trust him with my life. I trust him with _your_ life.” Chuck stopped, unsure where this was going.

“There was that time you kissed him,” Sarah prompted.

That was in no way the destination Chuck expected, and nothing for which he’d ever prepared. So, pretty much like the rest of his existence. “That was to save his life! I mean, I thought it was. Also, we weren’t together at the time!” He turned on his side, trying to show Sarah his complete sincerity. He was lying down and only in his boxers, which you’d think would help with the sincerity. “Sarah, I love you. The fact that I recognize, objectively, that John Casey is beefsteak central, and that I’d follow him into a hail of gunfire—nothing about that makes me any less committed to you.”

Sarah smiled, and if Chuck had been standing up he’d probably have needed to lie down, what with the completeness of his relief. “I believe you, Chuck. But—I have noticed how you look at him. And I want you to know, I trust him the same way you do.”

“Okay,” Chuck said.

She bit her lip, then looked at him with her Bond-esque steely-eyed resolve. “And if you wanted to ask him to join us, I wouldn’t say no.”

“Why do _I_ have to ask?” Chuck demanded—okay, whined—before her words actually reached his brain. Not to mention other parts. “Wait, what?”

She put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing just hard enough to keep him from hysterics. “You, me, and Casey, we’ve been through a lot together. I realized, I don’t want him to be alone, but I don’t really want to have to share him with anyone else. If you’re not okay with that, I’ll absolutely understand, and you know I’d never do anything without your full approval and participation. But I wanted you to know that the option is there.”

“Whoa,” Chuck said. Sarah’s open expression wavered just enough for him to realize that she was terrified. She wasn’t used to putting herself out there emotionally, and she’d done that for him, and this was the next step for them, even setting Casey aside. “Well, uh.” He swallowed. “First, thank you so much for trusting me enough to tell me that. Each time I think you can’t astound me again with how brave you are, you just go and prove me wrong. So, there’s that.” He reached out and pulled her into a hug, tight enough to say ‘I never want to let you go.’

When he felt her relax a little, he said the next part into her shoulder. “Also, and this is without making any final decision, I’m a little concerned that if I said anything like that to him, Casey would freak, and by freak I mean pummel me into a smudge on the floor. Let’s face it, the U.S. Marines are not exactly known for their open-mindedness, and half the time I think Casey just barely tolerates me. The other half I _know_ he just barely tolerates me.”

Sarah’s body shook with her amusement. “He didn’t kill you for the kiss. Casey looks at you too. He looks at you the way he looks at that twelve thousand dollar rifle scope in his gun catalogue.”

“Really?” Chuck knew how an Intersect reboot felt; this was a shock nearly as great, finding out that a significant portion of what he knew to be true about the world was deeply in error.

“Really,” she said, and kissed him.

What with the kissing and the topic of discussion, he got pretty distracted, so that was the last sustained conversation they had for a while. Afterwards, with Sarah’s head pillowed on his chest, his hand in her hair, he gave it more serious consideration.

“We should ask him together,” he offered. “So he’ll know it’s not a joke. We could hand him a card. Do you want to sleep with both of us, circle yes or no.”

Sarah chuckled, tickling against his skin. “Yeah, he’ll take that seriously.”

“Well, we could always just show up naked in his bed instead.”

“Too threatening. If he feels cornered, he’ll be in the wind before we can regroup.”

“God, this sounds like we’re planning a mission,” Chuck realized.

Sarah raised her head, meeting his eyes. Her hair was so soft against his skin. “Aren’t we?”

Hunh. “Yeah, I guess we are.” He smiled, feeling gooshy with love. “You know, when they talk about work-life balance, I’m not sure that’s the general meaning.”

“Well, it’s us,” she said, as if it were that self-evident.

And yeah, Chuck thought. I guess it is.


End file.
